A batch of images have been leaked on the web by an Apple supplier, potentially giving us a look at a purported chassis for Apple’s upcoming iPhone 7.
Published by French blog NowhereElse.fr, which does due diligence before posting part leaks, the photos show what looks like a Unibody frame handled by a factory worker, resembling Apple’s design style for the iPhone 6/6s series.
Reality checks, however, lead us to the conclusion that this likely is not a genuine iPhone 7 part, but a frame belonging to another handset.
For starters, the rectangular frame that holds the screen assembly measures 5.2 inches diagonally and the current iPhone 6/6s series is provided in 4.7 and 5.5-inch flavors.
Then there’s the placement of the headphone jack at the bottom. Didn’t the rumor mill assert that the iPhone 7 would ditch the headphone jack in favor of Lightning-based and wireless headphones?
Also worth keeping in mind: the supplier in question has both Apple and Huawei as its clients so there’s a reasonably high likelihood that what we’re seeing here is a chassis for an unreleased Huawei device.
It could even be an iPhone design that Apple had prototyped but ultimately abandoned.
Last but not least, take note of the position of the volume buttons and the power switch and lack of a hole for the silent switch, as evidenced on the photos above which put the leaked metal frame against a protective shell designed for Huawei’s P9 smartphone.
What do you think about the part shown on these pictures, is it a fluke or the real deal?
Source: NowhereElse.fr (Google Translate)